The invention relates to a method for detecting a system condition of a system comprising at least one agent by means of at least one manager coupled with the agents, whereby agents and manager communicate with one another via SNMP protocol. The protocol standardized since 1988 and described in RFC1157, RFC1902 through 1907 is very common and for example is used frequently for monitoring complex IP-based networks. The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) has been a standard protocol for the management of apparatus via an intermediate network since its introduction, independent of whether it operates as a LAN, WAN, or the Internet itself. It is currently the most-used management protocol for networks.
Within SNMP, two basic components are provided, and indeed agents and Network Management Systems (NMS). A device which can be administered contains software named an “agent”. The agent is responsible for the determination and storage of information about the device, and in addition, for supplying this information to the NMS in an SNMP-compatible format. The advantage of SNMP is the simple implementation and manner of functioning. Information on this can be obtained by the practitioner also from HEIN, Mathias, GRIFFITHS, David: SNMP Simple Network Management Protocal Version 2.1 Edition, Bonn, International Thomson Publishing GmbH, 1994, pp. 340-341. Methods for detecting system condition are also described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,360,258 B1.
The SNMP protocol can be used for example in an ELM (Electric Locking Module) system in order to monitor the status in an ELM system (for example, door open/closed).
Such electrical closure module systems are described for example in DE 202 04 858 as a monitoring and control system for a control cabinet. There, a plurality of functional units is connected to a micro-processor, which must process a plurality of supplied function and control specifications with reference to the ELM system. With a complex ELM system, this means however that based on the few available commands in the SNMP protocol, the request of the variables takes place serially with the different agents through the manager. That is, the agents are serially cycled and the value of the individual variables are transmitted to the manger. As soon as the manager arrives at the last variable, the cycle starts over.
Thus, it follows that with a plurality of variables, a change of the system is first established with a substantial time delay by the manager and is indicated accordingly.
Therefore, it is the object of the present invention to reduce the reaction time upon changes of the status and to collectively make the system more effectively.